Friday, 12:00 PM
Sebastian woke up exhausted.
Not normal tired. Not "ugh, five more minutes" tired.
This was the kind of exhaustion that made his reflection look like it belonged to someone who hadn't slept in days. His eyes were dark, hollowed out, skin pale like he'd just flown across six time zones and back. He rubbed at them, irritation flickering across his face.
He had gone to bed early on purpose. That had been the plan.
Wake up early. Get things done. Do the stuff that felt safer under sunlight. Things felt… less threatening when the world was bright.
But the night hadn't cooperated.
He'd woken up more than five times, each time soaked in sweat. Not a little sweat — the disgusting kind. He'd had to change his pillow because it was too damp to lie on!. By the fourth time he'd just stared at the ceiling, heart pounding, wondering if he was actually losing it.
The dreams kept shifting.
Sometimes he was running from the two-headed figure.
Sometimes he was the two-headed figure.
The last one clung to him like glue.
He had been the upper head.
He remembered looking down and seeing himself — his normal self — staring back up with wide, terrified eyes.
That look.
God, that look.
Then came the urge.
A slow, crawling instinct to climb down and replace the lower version of himself. To become the one being looked at instead of the one looking.
It hadn't felt weird.
It had felt natural.
That was the worst part.
He hadn't been in control. His body moved on its own. His thoughts weren't his. And when he woke up, heart hammering against his ribs, he'd had just one recurring thought:
Could he have been infected?.
had something slipped inside him?.
After that, he'd passed out from sheer exhaustion. The last dream had been faint, blurry — like remembering something through fog. All he could recall was a strange feeling of protection. Something shielding him.
But that same thing felt like it could kill him.
Protection and threat wrapped into one.
Too contradictory.
Too wrong.
He shoved the thoughts aside, showered, then switched on his computer. The fan hummed to life as he started downloading the game Alex and Jack had insisted he try.
They said it was good.
He'd be the judge of that.
GRRRRRRRRRR!.
His stomach growled violently.
Seb glanced at the clock.
12:50 PM.
"Great," he muttered. "Early lunch"
He headed downstairs, hunger sharpening his mood.
He stopped surprised. He hadn't expected to see his mom still home.
She was on the couch, eyes glued to the TV. The screen flashing red.
🚨 BREAKING NEWS
Explosion Rocks Michigan City Near Canadian Border Military Base
— Authorities are responding to reports of a massive explosion in a second-tier Michigan city located near one of the barracading boundaries with Canada. The city governing body has not yet released the cause of the blast. Witnesses describe a loud detonation followed by smoke rising over the skyline. Emergency crews are on site, and residents in surrounding areas have been advised to stay indoors as officials assess the situation. At this time, details on casualties or structural damage remain unconfirmed. Military and federal agencies are said to be investigating, given the proximity of the blast to the sensitive border installation
"'The Guardians'?" he asked cautiously, dropping into a chair.
His mom didn't answer immediately. Her jaw tightening. Then she nodded and switched off the TV.
Silence hung heavy.
"You know," she said calmly, "your device habits are becoming unhealthy."
Seb blinked. "Devices? What does that have to do with—"
"Look at the time."
He squinted at the clock like it had personally offended him.
"I know you're on holiday," she continued, siting, arms and legs crossed. "But waking up at nearly one in the afternoon isn't exactly productive."
"I didn't sleep well," he said. "That's different."
"Scrolling until three in the morning is probably the issue here."
"I wasn't scrolling."
She raised an eyebrow.
He sighed. "Okay, fine but, it was more to do with the recurring nightmares."
She studied him for a long moment.
"Recurring?" She asked, suspicion laced in her voice.
"Yeah."
"You expect me to believe this don't you"
He shrugged.
She sighed. "Are you taking your medication?".
"I… am."
"Then is it working?"
He hesitated. Chewed his sandwich then swallowed.
"I don't think it's doing much."
"There's no medicine that's one hundred percent effective," she replied, practical as ever. "But if it's doing nothing, that's a problem."
"Could just be a one-off."
"Are you sure, if your not, we can see the doctor again?"
"Nope, no need."
"Sleep medication?"
He shook his head immediately. "I don't want to get addicted."
She nodded once.
"I'm leaving in thirty minutes," she said. "But before I go, a few things."
Here we go again.
Seb stopped eating bracing himself for the mountain of restrictions she was about to implement. He had guessed it the minute he had seen her still home and to add to that watching the news.
He sighed
"First, the news"
Of course
"At this point as you can see. Even a second-tier city isn't safe anymore and I expect you and your friends to be careful. No wandering near military installations or buildings of that kind. Even here in New Jersey—"
"Especially not the lower district," he finished.
She gave him a look that said exactly.
"Good."
She paused.
"The second thing is your aunt will be arriving today."
Seb closed his eyes slowly.
"You don't mean Aunt June."
His mother smiled sweetly in response.
He groaned. "What did she do this time?"
She shrugged. "She'll tell you."
That, was never a good sign.
"And the last thing," she continued, tone shifting slightly, "we'll be visiting the main family soon."
Seb nearly choked on his hot chocolate.
"Wait. What?"
"For one to two weeks I think."
"Two weeks?" His voice cracked".
His cousins weren't the issue. He barely knew them.
It was the vibe.
Every time his mom mentioned them, her expression changed. Not angry. Not sad.
Disgusted.
Like she'd bitten into something rotten and couldn't spit it out.
Even Aunt June — chaotic, carefree, borderline unhinged Aunt June — went quiet at the mention of them.
Once, she'd looked like she genuinely considered murder as a reasonable solution.
That had scared him more than any ghost story.
"What for?" he asked.
"I'll explain later. Just pack enough clothes. I'll check before we leave."
Great.
Long days ahead.
3:00 PM
Seb stretched after finishing his workout, muscles burning pleasantly. He'd spent the afternoon messaging Alex and Jack, explaining the trip and changing pre-made plans. In between, he'd scrolled through videos while waiting for Aunt June.
She had a legendary bladder.
If he didn't open the door fast enough, she'd yell at him from the driveway like he'd committed a felony.
Currently he was on his pc, on one side the game showed an 80% completion rate, while on the other side the TO-GHOSTLY website was opened
He'd just finished watching the latest upload from "Highway Manic."
It had to be said, the video was insane.
The footage, and he couldn't understand how she had gotten such a good footage, But it showed a car chase at night. A woman — he thought it was a woman — breathing raggedly while something followed her. Headlights close and focused on her.
The fear in her voice reaching the point that he even felt it.
By the end, his heart was racing.
"Sheesh," he muttered. "That's some solid filmmaking."
He scrolled down to the creator's comment.
In bold:
"Tengo mucho miedo en este momento y no sé qué hacer — necesito que alguien me ayude."
was written
Seb frowned.
"…What the fuck?"
"Now what language is this"
A knock slammed against the door interrupting him.
Seb jolted, nearly dropping his mouse.
He checked the camera.
Aunt June.
Of course.
He ran down and opened the door quickly.
She stood there in oversized sunglasses, dramatic scarf, and the expression of someone who had either committed a minor crime or was about to.
"So," he said dryly, leaning against the doorframe. "You actually came."
She lowered her sunglasses slowly.
"What did you do now?" he asked giving her a disapproving look
She grinned.
"Oh, sweetheart," she said, brushing past him into the house. "what do you mean by that, makes me sound like some habitual offender."
"are you not"
He sighed and closed the door
While upstairs, his computer pinged.
Download complete.
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